For the past 20 years, the Friends of the Council on Aging have hosted an annual craft fair, bringing together dozens of local vendors and hundreds of residents from throughout the community.
“We’re sold out with vendors this year,” said Community Services Director Brandon Fitts. “I believe we have over 60 different arts and crafts vendors that sell . . everything from hand-knitted stuffed animals to jewelry, to local honey and syrup, sweets and treats, and everything in between. It’s a very versatile craft fair.”
This year, the event takes place at the Beech Street Center on Nov. 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be vendors in the large multipurpose room and on the second floor. All proceeds support programming at the senior center at 266 Beech St.
As part of the craft fair, shoppers can buy raffle tickets for a chance to win a 69-by-78-inch quilt made by the center’s quilting club. Materials and time were all provided by its members.
“It’s a fun group of people. We have everything, so it’s good to make something for other people,” said Barbara Gross, a member of the club for the past three years. “This is a good way of paying it forward and raising some money in the meantime.”
Raffle tickets can be purchased until the center’s Dec. 11 holiday party, when the winner will be announced, according to Fitts.
“It’s a beautiful quilt,” he said.
The quilting club will also have other items for sale, according to Gross. Fitts said that, in addition to arts and crafts from a variety of vendors, baked goods will also be available for sale.